What (or who) has been the most important influence in your social media marketing career?

I guess the election of president Obama, which relied on social media to succeed. For me social media is the continuity of web1.0 inception since I had the chance to be there when it started. I saw and was hit by the bubble crash and I guess the experience learned from it is still relevant today: social media is a phenomenon linked to the evolution of mankind. Marketing is still marketing as we know it, it is just adding new tools that makes things look cool and trendy. Brands are still not fully engaged with the digital way of thinking and it is ok.

One company that is influencing my reflexions around this subject is Airbnb not so much because of its capitalization, but rather because of the disruption it is creating in the hospitality and travel industry. I think designers and brands should reflect of the key elements that are instrumental in Airbnb success. There are so many concepts to grasp that are adaptable to changing the way companies work such as design thinking and much more.

 There are a number of people I do like to read their thoughts about a particular subject but to be honest there hasn't really been an influence on me since I was always someone who does welcome advice but I build my own path. There are a few forums and other sites like Bayt such as LinkedIn where from time to time I like to get a different perspective from my own. Also the company you work with determines how much exposure you get for Social Media as not all companies are the same and their plan for Social Media execution can be very different if not altogether limited. I have had the pleasure of training quite a few people in this industry and I believe your own will and desire to learn more and do more is a big influence on yourself. That is not to say you should not follow people who are considered experts or someone who you look upon as a mentor, I do strongly believe in the mentor system, if it is done right.